7 Winter-Inspired Cocktails to Try Now

Want to know what Miamians are drinking this winter? Check out '7 Winter-Inspired Cocktails to Try Now' on Eater Miami where not one, not two, but three Solbeso cocktails were featured from amazing establishments like Macchialina, Radio and Blackbird Ordinary

Read on for a sneak peek:

Water for Chocolate at Macchialina

Macchialina’s concoction is a blend of Solbeso, Bénédictine, simple syrup, orange bitters, and cherry bark vanilla bitters. Served over ice, the dark cherry and vanilla flavors are great winter.

Sol en Invierno at Radio South Beach

Translated to “sun in the winter,” this cocktail’s name is indicative of the winter weather in Miami. Created by Bryan Canales, it’s with Solbeso, pineapple juice, applewood-smoked coco syrup, bitters, and lemon and orange juice.

Winter Badger at Blackbird Ordinary

A mix of Ancho Reyes, Solbeso, pineapple, honey syrup, and lemon juice, this drink from Blackbird Ordinary is a mix of sweet and tart.

Logan Ronkainen

View fullsize

Logan Ronkainen crafting cocktails @ Trattoria Il Mulino, December 2014

Meet Logan Ronkainen.  Part chef, part mad scientist, all around great guy to know, especially when it comes to crafted cocktails.  Logan taps into his experience as a trained chef to create flavor combinations and serving rituals that redefine the cocktail experience. 

The New World Spirits team claims a special bond with Logan. Not only was he one of the team’s first supporters, he also truly understands Solbeso’s unique versatility and character, finding ever more intriguing ways to mix and serve the spirit. Check out Logan’s postings on Instagram to see some of his ridiculously delicious (and jaw-droppingly creative) cocktail creations.

To taste his Solbeso innovations in person, head to Trattoria Il Mulino in New York’s Gramercy Park neighborhood and watch Logan— the restaurant’s head bartender and spirits consultant — spin the shakers behind the bar.

One of the stars appearing on the restaurant’s winter menu is the Italiano-Americano, Logan’s spin on classic American cocktail the Negroni.  “The name is a pun on the classic as well: The ingredients are Americas (Solbeso) meets Italy. By swapping the gin out with Solbeso, it yields a much lighter, smoother Negroni, quickly becoming a crowd favorite,” says Logan. Logan one of our first supporters, Logan understands Solbeso’s unique versatility, character and chemistry in cocktails. Follow Solbeso’s Instagram to see some of his ridiculously delicious (and beautiful to behold creations.

Head to Trattoria Il Mulino in New York’s Gramercy Park neighborhood to see Logan— the restaurant’s head bartender and spirits consultant —in action behind the bar. As a ‘next generation” mixologist, Logan taps into his experience as a trained chef and infuses the menu with culinary know-how and creativity.

Appearing on the restaurant’s winter menu, the Italiano-Americano is Logan’s spin on a Negroni, a classic American cocktail.  “The name is a pun on the classic as well: the ingredients are Americas (Solbeso) meets Italy. By swapping the gin out with Solbeso, it yields a much lighter, smoother Negroni; quickly becoming a crowd favorite,” says Logan.

Italiano-Americano       

1 oz Solbeso

1 oz Capelletti

1 oz Cocchi Barolo Chinato

Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with an expressed grapefruit peel and a piece of bittersweet chocolate rested on top of the peel.

Getting Wicked Hot with Jacques Torres

Play word association and the name Jacques Torres immediately conjures chocolate.  When the famed chef offered to create a signature cocktail for the Premier Cares Foundation's Annual Celebrity Chef Dinner just one week before the event, Solbeso's Culinary Ambassador Clay Gordon needed little persuasion.

"I wanted a drink that connected the cocktail to the chocolate theme of the dinner menu and also allowed the unique qualities of Solbeso to shine through," said Clay. "And it was important to me that the drink not be sweet.”

Based on Chef Torres’ wildly popular Wicked Hot Chocolate, Clay teamed with Torres to concoct the ultimate cacao fruit-meets-chocolate wintery drink. "Over the summer I experimented with Solbeso cocktails featuring horchata, which often has the same spices as the chef’s hot chocolate, minus the heat. From experience, I knew Solbeso would go well with the spices, but it was still necessary to find the perfect ratios. That's some of my favorite kind of research!” says Clay.

The Wicked Hotchata hit the spot, agreed Premier Cares Foundation dinner coordinator Julie Goldfischer: "Your Solbeso creation, the wonderful Wicked Hotchata, was the perfect festive drink with ‘wow’ factor to serve guests at our chocolate-inspired fundraising dinner."

Wicked Hotchata Way

3 oz Whole Milk

4 oz Unsweetened/Unflavored Almond Milk

2 oz Solbeso

1 oz Jacques Torres Wicked Hot Chocolate

0.5 oz Orgeat Syrup

Warm both types of milks on the stovetop. Add additional ingredients together into the milk. Make sure the mixture doesn’t come to a boil. Serve hot in a mug. For the cold version, mix ingredient in a shaker and strain ice, serve in a coupe. Yields 2 servings. The Wicked Hotchata is equally delicious served cold or hot.